When it comes to investing in uncertain times, stick to the basics

12:20 PM,
Jun. 25, 2013

Written by

Grover Ranz CFP®

Here we go again. The stock market has reached a five-year high, whether your favorite yardstick for market performance is the traditional Dow Jones Industrial Average or the Standard and Poor's 500 index. By either measure, the markets have enjoyed an impressive rise through the spring.

Even for experienced investors, seeing new five-year highs for the stock market is a bit nerve-racking. Will the markets keep on going higher and higher? Will they correct, dropping by 5 percent or 10 percent? Or will they fall apart, dropping into so-called bear market territory, dropping by 20 percent or ...